Collection ericarchive; additional_collections

Artifacts and animal remains found at the Central Aleutian Site are described. The site consists of a house pit and a midden, or refuse pile. The house and artifacts, used in the mid-1700s, were abandoned about the time the Russians first came to the Aleutian Islands. The following information is given for the different types of artifacts: actual-size illustration, whenever possible; description of how archaeologists think they were used, based on Russian accounts and contemporary use of similar objects; materials they were made of; and in what part of the site they were found. Location and material of manufacture tell a lot about the uses of the objects and resources which were available to the Aleuts. Most artifacts are made of natural substances, such as bone, ivory, and stone. Objects made of plant material or shells probably have decomposed. Cross-sectional diagrams of the house site as it was found and as archaeologists believe it to have appeared originally are included. This handbook is intended to be used as part of the social studies unit, The Aleuts of the Eighteenth Century. (AV)